Searhing for: compact, great IQ, viewfinder and K mount adaptable

[jacques c pelletier]

<p>Hi folks.<br>

I probably posted something to that effect a long while back but my memory being very good .... short term only. </p>

<p>Here is a bit of background:<br>

I started searching for a very good quality, great IQ camera with a viewfinder a while ago and decided then to test the Pentax Q system.<br>

I did like what this very small (interchangeable lenses too) marvel could do and that it can be adapted to just about every possible K-mount lenses ever produced.<br>

After a few shots (I actually managed to get 87 shots total ! --- yes I know, I probably did not spend enough time with the kit), I realized that this was simply not for me.<br>

What I am looking for is a camera that:<br>

1. is truly compact but of very good built quality<br>

2. has great IQ (good to great sensor)<br>

3. has a built-in viewfinder<br>

4. has a decent zooming capability (5-6X or so) OR that has interchangeable lenses<br>

5. (optional) has an available adapter to mount my K-mount glass.</p>

<p>What I have seen thus far boils down to a Sony NEX 6 ... is(are) there any other choice(s) ?<br>

Although certainly not as compact as the Pentax Q, it is quite close to what I am looking for. And no, I am not interested to look into the Nikon compact system.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any recommendations/suggestions from those who would have actually have tried their "recommendations". :)</p>

<p>JP</p>

<p> </p>

[mel_snyder4]

Hello, Jacques...

 

I purchased the NEX-6 precisely because it had the excellent inherent IQ (same sensor as my D7000), exceptional EVF with focus

peaking for manual focusing, and - with adapters - ability to accept just about any glass except the bottom of an old Coke bottle.

 

In my case, the lenses are a Leica M Summilux f1.4 pre-asph, 50mm f2 Summicron and 90mm f2.8 Tele-Elmarit; and a Canon 135mm

f3.5 LTM. I also bought adapters for my Canon FD 85mm f1.2L and my 24mm f2, although those lenses are really heavy, and rarely get

carried.

 

I think the most important quality of the NEX-6 is its ability to make manual focusing and exposure setting easier and as precise as it was

on my M4P - although my M4P didn't have a finder ability to show me DOF. The menu system is simple to learn.

 

And the images, lord, the images. I was never able to feel comfortable shooting my Summilux wide open because of the quirky

characteristics of that lens. With the NEX-6 I can decide whether I need to stop it down or not.

 

I bought the camera with the 16-50mm kit lens, and while it is roundly criticized by many on the DPREVIEW forum, not a single

complainer has been willing to show any images. I've done A-B comparisons with the Summicron, and yes, for pixel peeping, you can

occasionally see the difference. The OSS is good enough to shoot tack-sharp images at 1/15th second at 50mm, wide open at f5.6.

 

Conclusion: If you have a store of legacy lenses, or have your eye on some, this is the camera for you. I bought the E mount Rokinon

(Samyang) 8mm f2.8 superwide/semi-fisheye, and with the Image Trend "Hemi" plug-in for Photoshop/Elements/Aperture, it becomes a

wonderful, sharp superwide. Check

https://picasaweb.google.com/112030639630947309972/SampleImagesFrom8mmRokinonOnSonyNEX6 for samples and

https://picasaweb.google.com/112030639630947309972/BostonBrooklineFire for samples with the 85mm 1.2L

 

Mel

[jacques c pelletier]

<p>Mel:</p>

<p>Thank you very much for the quick reply ... much appreciated. :)</p>

<p>You really summed it up nicely here, explaining why and how you use this camera.<br>

I was thinking of getting the NEX 6 with the "kit" lens and also a K-mount to NEX adapter for some very precious lenses I own, namely (among all others) a Zeiss T*Planar 85/1.4 and a Cosina 55/1.2.<br>

(That also means that in spite of wanting a "compact" camera I want to make sure I can also use some of my other lenses, albeit the Zeiss being quite a monster.))<br>

These last two have not yet produced the results I have been expecting because of a couple of issues: Zeiss has the known and infamous "focus shift" which litterally disappears when I use it on my Pentax K5 in Live View ... but I don't particularly like LV.<br>

The Cosina is a real pain to focus at F1.2, which is not a surprise, but focus peaking would be just the solution.</p>

<p>What happens when you mount the adapter for the non-NEX lenses? Do you end up going totally manual? Just wondering.<br>

Again, many thanks for the reply.</p>

<p>JP</p>

[jacques c pelletier]

<p>I forgot to ask: which is the very best adapter in your opinion?<br>

(In my case... to mount K-mount lenses).<br>

JP</p>

 

[laur1]

<p>For adapters, I usually get them from rainbowimaging on ebay (it doesn't matter if you pick MFT or NEX or Fuji - they have adapters for all of them). Consider getting an adapter with tilt capability as well as one with aperture control for DA lenses.</p>

<p>I use my K-mount lenses on the Olympus E-M5. I picked Olympus cameras because I was interested in some MFT lenses and also because they have in-body image stabilization.</p>

[mel_snyder4]

<p>When you mount a manual lens on the NEX-6 - or an AF lens you will operate in manual mode - most of us set the camera to shutter priority.<br>

Now, here's where the adapter choice comes in: Does your lens have an aperture ring or not? Many of the latest DSLR lenses have no manual aperture control. In that care, you must buy an adapter with an "lock-open" adjustment that enables you to operate the diaphragm manually.<br>

This sounds difficult and kludgy but it's not - because you are looking through the viewfinder.<br>

1. You set the ISO based on the lighting. Unless you were born under a mushroom with an auto-everything in your fist, that will be pretty obvious from the lighting and likely subject movement.<br>

2. I usually focus with the lens at maximum aperture. Focus peaking is ridiculously easy<br>

3. While looking through the EVF, you move the thumbwheel to set the shutter speed so the image looks properly exposed in the EVF. You look at the shutter speed displayed in the EVF - at the point where the EVF image looks good, is the shutter speed acceptable? Is the aperture you've dialed in give you the DOF you expect? If not, adjust the shutter speed or aperture. If you can't hit the right combination with the chosen ISO, you change it. 1600 is really good, and with properly illuminated subjects, even 3200 is acceptable.<br>

4. Now, here's the great thing: You did all this without removing your eye from the EVF. You adjust the aperture with your left hand, and adjust shutter speed, focus enlargement, white balance settings, ISO,, backlighting compensation and EVF display options ALL WITH YOUR RIGHT THUMB.<br>

5. The brand of adapter doesn't seem to matter; most seem to come out of the same Chinese factories. Simple ones like for Leica M mount can be cheap (under $20) - those with adjustment for lenses without diaphragms can cost $30-40 or more. Rainbow Imaging is one brand; I think Fotodiox or something is another. I've bought them on Amazon and eBay and they all look the same. I think the same factory makes them all and sells them to different marketers. The NEX side is typically black anodized aluminum and the lens side is a plated brass.<br>

Other than the kit lenses and rangefinder lenses, all legacy lenses for the NEX-6 will dwarf it and outweigh it. You will see the struggle to keep the package small in the apertures of the lenses and their "guide-by-wire" manual electronic focusing.<br>

The iPhone has made a different world. People expect light, small cameras. I don't take seriously any camera that needs to be held like an iPhone. But in the other hand, when you clamp a legacy 135mm f2.8 SLR lens on an NEX-6, it gets silly. Truly ridiculous are those who are so incapable of manual focusing that they purchase a $300 adapter to allow them to mount heavy AF Sony DSLR lenses on a tiny NEX.<br>

There's a thread running on DPREVIEW where, when I suggested that a guy might buy an 8mm Rokinon for $300 instead of a bigger, slower 12mm Sigma for $640 with an expensive special adapter, he SERIOUSLY said, "Yes, but the Sigma is AF, and to me, that's worth it!"<br>

AF FOR AN 8MM LENS THAT IS SHARP FROM 10 FEET TO INFINITY WIDE OPEN?</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Lot's of good info, Mel!</p>

<blockquote>

<p> most of us set the camera to shutter priority.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I think you mean Aperture Priority</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Other than the kit lenses and rangefinder lenses, all legacy lenses for the NEX-6 will dwarf it and outweigh it.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Except lenses designed for the Olympus Pen F half frame SLR camera which are quite small.</p>

 

[mel_snyder4]

<p>Hmmmm. Actually, I did mean shutter priority ("S") - that is, since the aperture isn't controlled by the camera, the NEX-6 can control exposure with manual lenses only via shutter speed and the ISO. I just tested it, and if you set the camera in aperture control, the thumbwheel does nothing...or am I missing something?<br>

Yes, the Pen lenses are great for the NEX, but really rare and hard to find. The most popular seems to be the 40mm f1.8. But since I have a 50mm f2 Summicron, I've never bothered searching for one (although I have coveted a Pen F for my camera collection, from time to time). The plastic mount Nikon 35mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.8 are exceptions for DSLR lenses on the NEX, because they are very light, inexpensive vs. E mount (especially Zeiss!) and very very sharp. <br>

And frankly, the 50mm is not an oft-used focal length for me. I may keep mine back in my B&Bs on my upcoming Swiss/Prague/Budapest/Vienna/Salzburg trip. My most often used primes are my 35mm Summilux and 8mm Rokinon, then the 90mm Tele-Elmarit. I use my 16-50mm PZ mostly as a 16mm lens, and will pick up a 55-210 over the next week or so for tele walk-around.<br>

I have a brilliantly sharp Canon 135mm f3.5 rangefinder lens, but a 55-210 is exactly the same length (4.25 inches), lighter, and has optical stabilization as well as AF - so the Canon will stay home.<br>

I will keep a D7000 body, 11-16mm Tokina and 18-200 Nikon VR back in my B&Bs as I travel, largely in the unlikely event the NEX-6 craps out. I love the 11-16, and have a Nikon (G) to NEX adapter, but it is a really heavy piece of glass, and if I find I can get away with the 8mm and panorama mode on the NEX-6, I will likely not carry it. Our Swiss leg of the journey will be by car, and I can just take the D7000/Tokina out of the truck when a situation arises. Otherwise, my whole kit. For walking around, I get the NEX-6, 35mm, 90mm, Rokinon, 16-50 PZ and a 55-210 in a small Domke bag - plus room for extra batteries, Thinktank SD card case and an IR remote. <br>

That light/compact weight + legacy lens acceptance on a sensor like the one in my D7000 is why I picked the NEX-6 over any micro four thirds. I'm not going back to small sensors just to have access to a bunch of lenses I don't want or need.</p><div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

<blockquote>

<p>the thumbwheel does nothing...or am I missing something?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Mel, try pressing the bottom of the wheel in Aperture priority. It should bring up the exposure comp control. At least it does on the 5n.<br>

The Oly Pen F lenses are not as common as some but can be often found on eBay where I cobbled together a decent outfit:<br>

http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00aemL<br>

I also have a full set of various RF lenses that work well on the NEX. The Contax G series is quite good.</p>

<p>Sounds like a great trip you have planned!</p>

 

[laur1]

<p>A very good thing going for the NEX would be if Sony can keep the same E-mount for their rumored FF MILC to come later this Fall.<br>

See: <a href="http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/strong-indications-about-the-nex-ff-release/">http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/strong-indications-about-the-nex-ff-release/</a>.</p>

[jamie_robertson2]

<p>Pentax K-01. Your old Pentax lenses will fit straight onto it... no messing around with adapters.</p>

[laur1]

<p>The Pentax K-01 does not have a builtin viewfinder, which was requirement #3.<br>

<br>

</p>

[mel_snyder4]

The K-01 has been discontinued; the reason why one could put old Pentax lenses on it with no adapters is because it is

basically a big point-and-shoot DSLR camera without a viewfinder (and no external EVF option), maintaining the DSLR

mount-to-sensor distance. It failed, I believe, because it solved no "problem" that a real DSLR with viewfinder didn't better

answer.

 

It's great to be able to use legacy (D)SLR lenses on a mirrorless, but if the result doesn't offer serious advantages over a

DSLR, the market will not embrace it.

[r.t. dowling]

<p>The K-01 may have been pulled from certain markets but it is still actively marketed elsewhere, such as Japan. In fact, Pentax recently gave the K-01 a boost there by offering it in a new range of color combinations. Apparently it's selling pretty well there.</p>

<p>That said, I agree that the NEX 6 is probably the best overall choice, although the OM-D E-M5 is a viable choice too if you don't mind the 2x crop factor. I prefer the design/controls/handling of the E-M5, but the Sony has other features that I appreciate. It's a tough call. </p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Adaptable, with viewfinder, compact...Fujifilm X-E1? If size is primary criteria, it's still larger than NEX-6.</p>

<p>Panasonic G-series (G3, G5, G6, etc.) are reasonably compact but have more pronounced flash/viewfinder humps and somewhat larger grips.<br>

<br /> Only Olympus m4/3 with built-in EVF is OM-D EM-5, the rest rely on accessory EVF. This is the only of these choices that will offer sensor-based image stabilization with adapted lenses.</p>

[mel_snyder4]

<p>RT: I would suppose that offering the K-01 in more colors was more likely a last ditch effort to save the model. The reviews here were not at all positive. The two companies supporting the micro four thirds Format are both in shaky financial shape - read their financial reports. That 2x crop factor comes from a smaller sensor. Sony recently agreed to supply Olympus with sensors; may be a sign they will go APS-C, possibly an APS-C size O-MD.<br>

The X-E1 is a good but expensive choice; If one wants a bigger camera, the Fujis will fill the bill.<br>

I looked at all but the MFT models. I want my sensor as big as I can afford!</p>

[andrewg_ny]

For the sake of completeness I'll mention the oft-forgotten Samsung NX20 which includes APS-C sensor and EVF.

Possibly not what you're looking for from a 'compact' standpoint as its more like mini-SLR with more pronounced grip and

flash/viewfinder hump.